Architecture City Guide: San Francisco
This week we are featuring San Francisco for our Architecture City Guide series. Thank you to all of our readers for adding their can’t miss buildings last week. We hope to see your comments below this week too.
Follow the break for our San Francisco list and a corresponding map!
Update: Satellite Whitney Museum / Renzo Piano
During the summer months, Renzo Piano’s satellite design for the Whitney was in the midst of juggling a touch combination of obstacles (as we reported earlier) – the economic downturn, pressure from the community and of course, the indecisiveness of the museum board. Piano had been redesigning his original vision – a stone clad museum which floated above a glass lobby – to lower construction costs. After selling property, including six brownstones on Madison Avenue and two on 74th Street, for an estimated $100 million, the Whitney has raised $475 million of its $680 million goal. Finally, the expansion – an idea which has been 25 years in the making – will breakground on the 24th of May.
More about the updated museum after the break.
Terzo Piano Restaurant/ Dirk Denison Architects
Terzo Piano Restaurant was designed as a changeable canvas with movable pieces and flexible seating arrangements. Seating 250 patrons the lunch restaurant is located within the Renzo Piano designed Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago. The architects therefore were challenged with establishing a contemporary space that provided a complementary atmosphere to the Modern Wing. A recent recipient of a 2010 AIA Chicago Award: Citation of Merit for Interior Architecture, jurors commented, “It’s elevated the cafeteria experience,” and “The whole idea of having art in the dining area is elegant.”
Follow the break for drawings and photographs of Terzo Piano Restaurant.
Architects: Dirk Denison Architects
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Client: Bon Appetit Management at The Art Institute of Chicago
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Michelle Litvin Photography
Design + Wine exhibit at SFMOMA
“How Wine Became Modern: Design + Wine 1976 to Now” is a brand new exhibit at the San Francisco Modern Museum of Art. Co-created and designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the exhibit was organized by Henry Urbach, SFMOMA’s Helen Hilton Raiser Curator of Architecture and Design. Bringing attention to the wine industry and its integration with the latest artists, designers and architects the exhibit will be on display at SFMOMA until April. A main part of the exhibit is featuring the architectural spaces that house the wine making process, tastings, museums, etc. Some big name architects who have developed designs for cutting-edge wineries include: Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Norman Foster, Herzog and de Meuron, Renzo Piano and Alvaro Siza.
Mr. Urbach stated that the idea stemmed “from an observation and curiosity about why there was so much activity around wine in various design fields. There are probably a score of world famous architects who have done wineries in the last fifteen years and they’re not doing dairy farms or orange juice bottling plants.”
Here at ArchDaily we have featured many great wineries. Be sure to take a look at Zaha Hadid’s Tondonia Vina Pavilion, Norman Foster’s Faustino Winery, as well as AD Wineries Roundup I and Roundup II.
Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Principals-in-Charge: Elizabeth Diller, Ricardo Scofidio and Charles Renfro
Project Leader: Ilana Altman
Project Manager: David Allin
Project Team: Kumar Atre, Donna Pallotta, Jose Vidalon and Chris Hillyard
Problems for Piano’s Modern Wing
A $10 million lawsuit has been filed against Arup for flaws in Renzo Piano’s addition to the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing (check out our previous coverage of the museum). The museum claims that certain documents made by Arup were flawed and have resulted in serious problems for the museum. Although most of the problems were addressed before the 264,000 sqf wing opened in 2009, the Institute still states that errors have led to condensation in the vestibule and incorrectly sized temperature and humidity controls. Determined to maintain their highly esteemed reputation as a world-class museum, the Art Institute has clarified that although the building has experienced problems, no artwork was ever in jeopardy of being harmed.
More about the lawsuit after the break.
Alternative to Piano’s Whitney Museum / Axis Mundi
Axis Mundi … remember that firm? Back when controversy surrounded Jean Nouvel’s proposed tower for the MoMA’s expansion, the firm offered an alternative stacked design highly different from Nouvel’s metallic creation. It seems Axis Mundi is back for the shock value as the firm has just released images for their version of the new Whitney Museum of American Art. The current design, led by Renzo Piano, utilizes his characteristically light and technical aesthetics (check out his Shard which is under construction) to create an elegant addition critics have challenge may be too “timid” – Axis Mundi’s design is anything but. Their proposal incorporates a loud exoskeleton that not only seems completely out of scale, but also fights with its neighborhood for attention rather than settling into its context. The geometry, which has been shaped by the sight lines and street grid of the city, intends to reference Breuer’s Whitney on Madison Avenue. As The Architect’s Newspaper Blog noted, the proposal mentions nothing of cost – one of the biggest obstacles Piano is facing.
Check out more images of Axis Mundi’s proposal after the break.
In Progress: The Shard / Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano’s Shard is quickly climbing up London’s skyline. The 1,016 ft high skyscraper will provide the mixed use density the city needs, as it incorporates apartments, office space, a spa, hotel and restaurants within its sleek pyramidal form. Inspired by perhaps a ship’s mast from the Pool of London, or a modern take on the church spire, the Shard will become a prominent fixture in the skyline as it nears it completion. Check out these images illustrating the Shard’s progress – the crisp aesthetic commonly found in Piano’s projects is becoming evident as the low-iron glazing is applied to the structure.
More images after the break.
The Shard: London’s Tallest Tower / Renzo Piano
We just featured an article about London’s construction frenzy, which includes over half a dozen skyscrapers for the city. This new era will completely alter the city’s skyline as tall buildings will be sprouting everywhere to house new office, commercial, and residential activities. Of these new structures, Renzo Piano’s 310 meter high mix-used tower, The Shard (be sure to check out our coverage of the tower), will not only become London’s tallest tower, but also the tallest building in all of Western Europe. Of all of London’s new developments, we are excited to see this dynamic tower’s impact on the city and its relationship with London’s context and future neighboring skyscrapers.
We have new images to share from Renzo Piano Building Workshop and more video clips of the construction progress after the break.
Satellite Whitney Museum / Renzo Piano
In his article about Renzo Piano’s revised vision for the Whitney, Nicolai Ouroussoff explains that the neighborhood’s criticism and the museum board’s indecisiveness have continually provided stumbling blocks for the museum during its attempts to expand. Upon agreeing to realize Piano’s design for a satellite museum in the Meatpacking district, hope were high that finally, after 25 years, the museum would complete its much needed expansion.
Yet, it seems that Piano is in the midst of a new struggle resulting from the global economic downturn. While construction costs have dropped, allowing the cost of the project to slide under $200 million (persuading the board to commit to breaking ground), the museum is still struggling to contain costs and begin building before prices rise.
AD Classics: Centre Georges Pompidou / Renzo Piano + Richard Rogers
In the 1970′s architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, both unknown at the time, collaborated and erected one of the most famous and radical buildings of our time, Centre Georges Pompidou. The cultural center in Paris, France turned our world inside out, literally. It all began with Georges Pompidou, President of France from 1969 to 1974, who wanted to construct a cultural center in Paris that would attract visitors and be a monumental aspect of the city. Receiving more than 150 million visitors since is completion thirty three years ago, there is no doubt that Pompidou’s vision became a successful reality.
More information on Centre Georges Pompidou after the break.
Volcano Buono / RPBW
Resting on the outskirts of Naples, Renzo Piano latest Volcano Buono is a mixed use center that aims to become integrated into the landscape, rather than just occupying it. The central piazza of the Volcano includes a 150 meter-wide space that holds an outdoor theater and market, while a series of concentric rings form the center’s commercial areas. Piano explained that the Volcano is “a contemporary take on a Greek marketplace, a void as a place for events, meetings, dialogue and the gathering of people”.
More about the Volcano and more images after the break.
The Shard / Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano‘s latest project, the Shard, has recently moved to the construction phase. The 1,016 ft high skyscraper will be the tallest building in Western Europe and will provide amazing views of London. The mixed use tower, complete with offices, apartments, a hotel and spa, retail areas, restaurants and a 15-storey public viewing gallery, will sit adjacent to London Bridge station as part of a new development called London Bridge Quarter. Replacing the 1970′s Southwark Tower on Bridge Street, the Shard is a welcomed addition to the London skyline, and its central location near major transportation nodes will play a key role in allowing London to expand.
More about the tower after the break.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center by Renzo Piano
The design for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center at the Faliron Delta area in Athens, Greece. The building is being designed by -in my opinion- the master of sustainable architecture: Renzo Piano.
The SNFCC is not an ordinary building, as it will house a very important program: the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera.
This 187,800 sqm project – a private-public endeavor – will have a cost of € $450m, financed entirely by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and once completed in 2015 it will be turned over the Greek State.
There´s only a few images available at the moment, but from the model and sections we can see how the building integrates into the slope of the park, and it´s connected to the sea through a canal parallel to the existing explanade. On this, Piano says: “The Cultural Center’s proximity to water, and the natural warm breezes and light of Athens were particularly inspiring during the design process. It was immediately clear that we must take advantage of all these elements to ultimately design a zero emissions building that expresses movement and energy”.
The roof consists in a series of interconnected photovoltaic cell panels which will cover the structure’s needs, taking advantage of the pure “green” solar and wind energy, in a similar way to the California Academy of Science.
We´ll keep you posted on the future development of this project. More images -courtesy of Renzo Piano Building Workshop- after the break.
California Academy of Science / Green roof construction and opening
Fernando Herrera shared with us some very interesting photos of the California Academy of Science (previously posted with the official photos). First, a series of pictures from the opening day on which you can see the building with people on it, and get a better idea on the scale and how it works. He even caught Renzo Piano admiring his own work!
Also, he sent us a series of pictures of the green roof during construction, on which you can see more details such as the irrigation system and the skylights.
Enjoy the gallery! I also recommend checking out Fernando´s Flickr page, he has photographed an interesting selection of contemporary buildings in the US and Europe.
California Academy of Sciences / Renzo Piano
The last 2 times I went to San Francisco, I saw the progress of the new California Academy of Sciences building, by italian architect Renzo Piano. It was amazing to see how the 2.5 acre green roof took shape. The building is now complete, it was opened to public yesterday.
The building recovers two and mixes it with a whole new structure, which is actually very transparent, connecting it visually with the Golden Park, away from the old conception of dark museums. Shade will be provided by a canopy that goes around the bulding, with solar panels on it.
Sustainability was a key aspect of the design, as this project is one of the ten pilot “green building” projects of the San Francisco Department of Environment, aiming to get platinum LEED certification. Actually, the building will consume 30-35% less energy than required by code.
The project conserves two limestone walls from the previous building (1934), and houses a planetarium, a rain forest habitat and an aquarium, and several exhibition spaces to house the several Academy collections.
The planetarium and the bubble that contains the rain forest habitat are the two big spheres that shape the green roof. The roof becomes a landscape with California native species, that won´t need extra maitenance or water, attracting local species to occupy it. Thus, the green roof won´t be fully accesible to visitors, who can only walk through a small path.
All the pictures on this post are © Tim Griffith. Check out his website for great architecture photography.
